


ragnarok was a bedtime story

by writerdragonfly



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Secrets, Gen, Magic, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 05:22:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18684979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerdragonfly/pseuds/writerdragonfly
Summary: Midoriya Izuku is fourteen when his father comes for a visit, bearing secrets that Izuku never expected, and an opportunity he could never turn down.





	ragnarok was a bedtime story

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sky_King](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sky_King/gifts).



> Look, it's Hector's fault and he knows it. <3  
> This was written Post-Endgame, but does not currently and will likely not contain any spoilers for Endgame. Since it, you know, occurs 200+ years later.

Midoriya Izuku is used to his father’s infrequent visits. Despite his mother’s claim to strangers that they were married, Izuku has always been aware of his father’s wanderlust and aloofness. He couldn’t and wouldn’t be tied down to one singular place, though he had tried when Izuku was very young.

 

The fact of the matter was, his father was born for more than this, more than a little apartment and wife and a quirkless kid.

 

Izuku had never doubted his father loved him. He hadn’t even doubted that he loved his mother. But, Izuku was aware of a lot of harsh realities of life. Sometimes love _wasn’t_ enough.

 

Izuku wasn’t enough.

 

Still, Izuku loved his father something desperately.

 

He doesn’t expect his father to be waiting outside when he gets home, covered in soot and grime. His throat aches, and his fingers are trembling and then--then he’s wrapped up in his father’s arms, held tightly as his father whispers soft, calming sounds that Izuku cannot qualify in the moment.

 

Izuku never sees the blond mass of skin and bone standing just down the street, blinking at him in surprise.

 

“Your mother called me,” his father says, when Izuku stops crying, “she saw you save that brat on the news.”

 

“I didn’t mean to worry--”

 

“Hardly what I mean, forest child. You know how I feel about the boy. Still, I believe your mother will agree when I say I am proud of you.”

 

“But I got in the way,” Izuku blurts, the words of the heroes who berated him thick in his head, “and without a quirk I can’t be a hero anyway.”

  


“By the gods, is that what those idiots told you? Come inside, we’ll discuss this after dinner. I believe your mother has prepared your favorite.”

  


...

  


After dinner, Izuku changes into his pajamas and rejoins his parents. His mother nervously wrings her hands as Izuku settles in, which makes something in the pit of his stomach drop farther than it already had.

 

“We have a few things to talk about, but I wanted to start with this,” his father says, brandishing a handwritten letter with Izuku’s name written messily on the top.

 

“What... what’s this?”

 

“A wastrel of a man dropped it off for you. Of course, as I saw the man following you earlier I’ve already read it. I do believe it will... help.”

 

_Young Midoriya,_

 

_I wanted to apologize for my curt and harsh words earlier. I believed I was saving you from both physical pain and heartache when I told you that you couldn’t be a hero without a quirk. I was wrong._

 

_I’ve seen and heard first hand true heroism. When your body moves before you can even think about it, because something must be done and you cannot stand by and idly watch._

 

_You inspired me to take action when I did not believe I had the ability to do so, when you moved without hesitation to save that boy no matter the cost to yourself._

 

_I cannot say your path will be easy, but I do believe in you. You, Midoriya, are a hero in the making._

 

_Thank you,_

 

_All Might_

  


Izuku starts sobbing before he even finishes reading the letter, his father gently taking it from his hand and reading it aloud to him and his mother.

 

“There are things about me I had intended to wait until you were of age to discuss with you, Izuku,” his father says after a moment, “I did not know how you felt about yourself, or we would have had this discussion sooner.”

 

“Da—”

 

His father interrupts him, “Do you remember the stories I used to tell you before bed?”

 

“Oh! About Asgard? The great wars and Hela and... wait... do you mean?”

 

“I chose the name Hisashi when I met your mother, and I took her name with pride. But I have been known by many names since I left Asgard, yes.”

 

“Oh...”

 

“You do not have one of these famed quirks because you are my son. I was not born of Asgard, and sadly never possessed one of the skills of the natural people.”

 

“People with quirks have Asgardian blood?”

 

“Most do, and mostly indirectly by this point, yes. It reacted quite well with Midgard born. There are... other worlds which used the developing culture and... sudden stagnancy of Earth’s exploration of the universe to their advantage. New blood, a place to belong. A great deal of purportedly mutant based quirks were from them.”

 

“But you don’t have a quirk... what about the fire breathing?”

 

“No, I am indeed quirkless. But I do believe you and I have something better. I would like to train you, with your mother’s approval.”

 

“Train me?”

 

“As my mother trained me,” he says, a hint of a fond smile on his face, “In magic.”

 

...

  


To call it easy would be a lie. It isn’t easy. It’s the hardest thing that Izuku has ever done. The first three days, he falls asleep exhausted a full hour before his usual bedtime, having eaten twice his usual amount at every meal.

 

But, it isn’t impossible. He _knows_ how to weave his first spell when he wakes up on the fourth morning, staring down at his eggs. Loose, spilling perfectly over his rice.

 

The first spell is a simple illusion. He weaves it between his fingers like a net, gently and slowly. His father finds him that way ten minutes later, a soft mint colored kitten asleep in his palms.

 

He doesn’t get the kitten to wake; it’s still the most successful thing he feels he’s ever done.

 

It doesn’t slow down after that.

 

...

 

“Magic requires a great deal of energy. It comes first from your body. This is because your body acts as a conduit. It is natural. However, because you require energy to produce magic, you also require a greater deal of... caloric intake. It is equally important for your body to maintain physical fitness because of this. An unbalanced body will result in unbalanced magic.”

 

“So, I need a fitness and diet plan.”

 

“Just as you would with a quirk, forest child.”

 

“Does... do our genetics affect the efficacy of a... midgardian nutrition plan?”

 

“Only in that you will require more than strictly recommended. We will find the correct balance for you.”

 

“Before the Entrance Exam?”

 

“Don’t fret, little one.”

 

...

  


“Hisa...”

 

“You can still call me Hisashi, dearest. It was the name I chose for us.”

 

“Hisashi... Did you really intended to tell Izuku about your magic?”

 

“Of course I did. I only wished him to... have a happy childhood.”

 

“He... he didn’t get as much of one as either of us wanted.”

 

“I am sorry for that. If I had stayed, if I’d remembered how cruel children could be about those who are different—“

 

“Don’t blame yourself. I always knew you were made of starstuff, Hisashi. You would have suffocated here.”

 

“Inko, I—“

 

“It wasn’t just the children who were cruel to him, you know. I didn’t always see that. Izuku has always been special.”

 

His father’s voice is rough when he speaks again, and Izuku can hardly hear it through the door. “You were not intentionally cruel.”

 

...

  


And so, in the months between his father’s return and the entrance exam, Izuku learns. He weaves illusions of his magic, outwardly and overtly. The other spells he learns too, but he saves them for when he and his parents are alone.

 

They change his quirk paperwork, his father doing so with a confidence that knowledge tells Izuku is born of the fact that he could easily change things without another soul involved.

 

Izuku bulks up, his shorter heavier frame more like his mother’s despite his father’s genetic influence. Still, he somehow looks far more slender than he should given his current strength—which was simply the result of his determination to be the best hero he could manage.

 

Kacchan doesn’t threaten him out of attending the exams, but Izuku suspects it has less to do with his burgeoning muscles and more to do with the fact that Kacchan has always been afraid of his father.

 

Still, when Izuku walks into the exam grounds, he feels for the first time, like he belongs there. Like he could do this after all.

 

Except, then he trips on his way in, still a teenage boy growing into his own skin.

 

A hand clenches the back of his shirt though, a tight fist holding him from a hard, head on fall onto the concrete. The hand releases, as if suddenly realizing that it’s touching a _stranger_. Once he stabilizes himself, he turns to see the pink cheeked boy who had come to his rescue.

 

Izuku has never been the best at naming colors, but lavender is the only one that comes to mind when he sees him.

 

“Th-thank you,” Izuku stammers out, his own cheeks flushing to match. The other boy blinks and looks away.

 

“Yes, well. Who’s to say they haven’t already started watching us?” It’s clearly a lie, but Izuku lets it go.

 

“Good luck!” He says instead, and the boy looks shocked at the words.

 

“You too, cabbage head.”

 

Izuku blinks at the strange new nickname, before he decides to embrace it. “See you later, candy floss!”

 

...

 

He doesn’t really know where his sudden confidence is from, but... he thinks he likes it.

  
  
...  


His examinee number sits him next to Kacchan, who for a few seconds at a time seems to forget they’re not... not really friends.

 

Izuku embraces the moment of obvious anxiousness in the other boy, relaxes into himself as he tries to center his thoughts.

 

Using his magic has settled some of the nervous rambling, but Izuku knows it will never completely leave him. Even with Kacchan glaring at the world, a few of the students nearby aim their own glare at him.

 

But then they’re separated.

 

Izuku heads to his practical on his own.

 

Candy Floss blinks at him in surprise when the lot of them gather together, but Izuku just smiles.

 

And then the exam starts, and they’re off.

**Author's Note:**

> Izuku may or may not get a boyfriend at some point. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ It'll depend how the story flows. I have plans for maybe two or three more chapters, but this doesn't have a strict plotline. Hope you enjoyed!


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